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Hi everyone,
The song of the week is 'Will The Circle Be Unbroken' in the key of G. Recordings The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - on their classic 3-record 'Will The Circle Be Unbroken' album: with Earl Scruggs on banjo, Vassar Clements on fiddle, Doc Watson on guitar, and Mother Maybelle Carter, Jimmy Martin, and Roy Acuff taking turns singing the verses: key of A Will The Circle Be Unbroken - YouTube Bill Monroe (live) - key of Bb https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67Uk42Q-51o Ralph Stanley - key of A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFqL6BprLZM Jason Homey & The Snake River Boys - key of G (starts at 15:24) Jason Homey and the Snake River boys, IBA Open Mic, 10_22_19 - YouTube Jam Videos Here are four youtube jam videos I have made for Will The Circle Be Unbroken. I recommend starting with the one listed last. In that one, I am on guitar, and am playing in the key of G. Jason’s YouTube Links – Alphabetical Listing – Parisology (cyberplasm.com) Progression Most often when it has been played at the beginner jam, Will The Circle Be Unbroken uses the same chord progression as I'll Fly Away (Prog. V3 on the Basic Chord Progressions handout): 1111 4411 1111 1511 In the key of G: 1 = G, 4 = C, and 5 = D. In the key of A: 1 = A, 4 = D, and 5 = E. In the key of Bb: 1 = Bb, 4 = Eb, and 5 = F Etc. Other progressions that have been used on recordings and at jams for Will The Circle Be Unbroken include: 1111 4411 1111 5511 (Prog. W3) 1111 4411 1116m 1511 (This is the most common alternative progression at bluegrass jams for Will The Circle Be Unbroken.) 1111 4411 116m6m 1511 (In the key of G: 6m=Em. In the key of A: 6m = F#m. In the key of Bb: 6m = Gm. Etc. The 6m chord is the relative minor chord of the 1 chord.) Since the person leading the song is responsible for determining which progression will be used for the song, it is important at a jam to pay attention to the choice of chord changes being used by the person leading the song, so that you don't find yourself using a different progression than that used by the leader. Melody Notice that while the G Major Scale consists of the 7 notes G, A, B, C, D, E, and F#, only five of these notes are used for the melody of Will The Circle Be Unbroken; these are the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th notes of the G Major Scale: G, A, B, D, and E. This 5-note subset of the G Major Scale forms what is called the G Major Pentatonic Scale. Knowing which 5 notes of the Major Scale form the Major Pentatonic Scale can be very useful when trying to find the melody of a song on an instrument, because there are many songs like Will The Circle Be Unbroken that have melodies that use only the notes of the Major Pentatonic scale, and even in songs that use more notes, the notes of the Major Pentatonic Scale tend to show up more frequently than the two Major Scale notes that are not included in the Major Pentatonic Scale. Some other songs that use only the notes of the Major Pentatonic Scale in their melodies are: All The Good Times Are Past And Gone Amazing Grace Auld Lang Syne Camptown Races Canaan's Land Come Back Darling The Crawdad Song Down The Road Foggy Mountain Top Handsome Molly Let Me Be Your Friend Light At The River Little Liza Jane Long Journey Home Mountain Dew My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains Nine Pound Hammer Shortnin' Bread Swing Low, Sweet Chariot Tom Dooley Just like in Amazing Grace, Nine Pound Hammer, Foggy Mountain Top, Long Journey Home, Mountain Dew, and My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains, the lowest and highest notes of the melody for Will The Circle Be Unbroken are the 5th note of the Major Scale, with the lower 5th and the higher 5th being an octave apart from each other. (D notes when in the key of G; E notes when in the key of A, etc.) Here is a comparison of the Major Scales and Major Pentatonic Scales for the 8 major keys we play in at the jam: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 G Major G A B C D E F# G Major Pentatonic G A B D E A Major A B C# D E F# G# A Major Pentatonic A B C# E F# Bb Major Bb C D Eb F G A Bb Major Pentatonic Bb C D F G B Major B C# D# E F# G# A# B Major Pentatonic B C# D# F# G# C Major C D E F G A B C Major Pentatonic C D E G A D Major D E F# G A B C# D Major Pentatonic D E F# A B E Major E F# G# A B C# D# E Major Pentatonic E F# G# B C# F Major F G A Bb C D E F Major Pentatonic F G A C D Pickups For Will The Circle Be Unbroken, use the same set of pickups to lead into a break, especially an intro break, that you would use to start Nine Pound Hammer, Little Birdie, or She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain. Notice that the melody of Will The Circle has two pickup notes built into it. These are the same two pickup notes that are built into the melodies of Little Birdie and She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain, and they are also the same as the last two pickup notes that are built into the melody of Nine Pound Hammer. When a song has built-in pickups, it is usually best to include these in one's pickup phrase for leading into a break, rather than selecting pickup notes that don't imply the melody. A simple way to turn the pickup notes in the melodies of Little Birdie, She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain, and Will The Circle Be Unbroken into a pickup phrase that consists of three quarter notes (using three quarter notes rather than just two is usually a more effective way to start an intro break at a jam) is to double up on the first pickup note in the melody: 5 5 6 leading to 1 sol sol la do key of G: D D E G key of A: E E F# A key of Bb: F F G Bb key of B: F# F# G# B key of C: G G A C key of D: A A B D key of E; B B C# E key of F: C C D F On banjo, another effective way to start an intro break for Little Birdie, Nine Pound Hammer, She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain, and Will The Circle Be Unbroken is to play a half-note pinch (e.g., 5th and 1st strings played together simultaneously, lasting for half a measure before the next note is played) followed by the two quarter note pickup notes that the melody starts with. Lyrics At jams, it is common for the song to be sung with either 3 or 4 verses: 1. I Was standing by my window... 2. Lord I told that undertaker... (or Well I told that undertaker... or Undertaker, undertaker...) 3. Lord I followed close behind her... (or Well I followed close behind her...) (4. I went home Lord, my home was lonesome...) Song List 18 songs were played at last night's jam: 13 from the main list, 1 from the additional songs list, and 4 that are on neither list: Blue Ridge Cabin Home - A Boil The Cabbage Down - A Bury Me Beneath The Willow - G Cripple Creek - A Foggy Mountain Top - G Little Birdie - Bb Mama Don't Allow - A A Memory Of You - Bb My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains - G Nine Pound Hammer - B Shortnin' Bread - G Soldier's Joy - D Will The Circle Be Unbroken - G Lonesome Road Blues - G Christmas Time's A Coming - A Good King Wenceslas - G Joyeux Noel - A Silent Night - C Happy Pickin' Jason Will The Circle Be Unbroken - banjo tab Download File Will The Circle Be Unbroken - guitar tab Download File Will The Circle Be Unbroken - mandolin tab Download File Will The Circle Be Unbroken - melody in G Download File
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